Companies create mathematical models of their business processes in order to predict the outcome of changes to the processes. Frequently, the companies hire consultants to create the models. The use of consultants is beneficial to the company because the consultants have developed accurate mathematical models for the processes of the numerous companies that they have studied. The mathematical models, generally called templates, contain a multiplicity of parameters which must be adjusted for the individual company's industry, location, clients, employees, and other factors. If the input data for the template is accurate, then the template can accurately predict the outcome of changes to the company's processes.
One of the most frequently used templates is a return on investment (ROI) template. A ROI template calculates the amount of money a company will have to spend for a certain process upgrade which reduces the company's operating or processing costs. ROI templates for a computer system upgrade would include industry and context values (information on tax rates, labor rates, etc.), computing cluster values (information on the number of CPUs, their speed, and their memory), application values (information on how the applications are executed), the types of computers the company uses, and organizational data about the computer system. Perhaps the most important aspect of the ROI template is that it calculates the time required to recapture the money expended in the process upgrade. If a consultant has accurate data regarding the input costs, and the ROI template is accurate in modeling the company's processes, then the template can accurately predict the cost savings and the company's return on its investment in the process upgrade. Consequently, consultants expend significant amounts of time and energy in modifying the templates so that they accurately model the company's processes. Therefore, a need exists for a method of capturing the consultants' modifications to the default template and rating the effectiveness of the consultants' modifications.
While many consultants modify the default templates for their customers, consulting firms are particularly interested in the modified templates which most accurately reflect the customer's processes. If a particular modification were more accurate than the default template, then it would be useful to update the default template to reflect the more accurate modified template. Sometimes, the extent of the modifications to the templates signifies the need to create a new default template. Therefore, a need exists for a method of analyzing the modified templates and using the modified templates to update the default template and create new templates.
The prior art has previously addressed the problem of updating templates. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,338,149 (the '149 patent) entitled “Change Monitoring System for a Computer System” discloses a method for detecting changes to templates in a computer network. The '149 patent reviews the modifications to the templates and determines if they are desirable. What is needed beyond the '149 patent is a system for rating the effectiveness of the templates and using the modified templates to update the default template and create new templates.